Someone To Call On
by justkillingtime
Summary: All her life she'd been on her own, she'd been conditioned not to trust anyone and then she met him. He couldn't explain why but there was something about the girl that drew him to her. Maybe it was serendipity or fate that brought them together to slowly change both their lives in ways they could have never imagined. A story of Erin and Voight in the years she works as his CI.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story is the follow on to my previous story On Her Own. You do not need to have read that story to read this one however if you would like to read the story of Erin's life before she meets Voight check it out. If you like what you're reading or have something constructive to say I'd love to hear from you. Happy to take feedback and suggestions as well.**

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Erin walked slowly along Navy Pier eyeing off the tourist she passed, looking for a mark. Teddy was with her and a bunch of other kids from the neighbourhood; they'd caught the bus down there that morning and were now trying to entertain themselves. A game of truth or dare had sounded like a fun thing to do, and it was fun, the dares they'd come up with at first were silly and fun, but now they'd started crossing the line into the illegal. The dare was to pick pocket someone; two of the kids had already made successful grabs, now it was her turn. She wasn't worried, she'd done this before, she knew what she was doing.

She picked her mark, a man in a business suit, she saw him stick his wallet in his pocket after buying an ice cream. She walked carefully along behind him, waiting for the right moment, when it came she made her move but just as her hand went to his pocket someone called out, the man's stride changed, he felt her hand in his pocket and the next thing she knew he had her wrist in a vice like grip, and was calling for the police.

The other kids scattered and she was left on her own, with the man gripping her wrist and an ever increasing crowd gathering around her. When the police arrived they had no choice but to cuff her and take her away. She was arrested and taken down to the police station, she had nothing to say for herself, she'd been caught red handed, she just kept her head down and her mouth shut. She didn't know what she was going to do, there was no defence to her actions, she'd been stupid and reckless and if they sent her to jail she'd deal with it. For now she had no idea what was going on, they'd taken her finger prints and her photo then left her alone in a room. She'd been sitting in there for what felt like hours waiting for something to happen.

...

Detective Hank Voight walked into the station carrying a bag with two burgers in it, it was three in the afternoon and the food was either a late lunch or an early dinner depending on how long it took him to finish his paperwork. As he walked past the interrogation rooms he saw a girl sitting there by herself.

"Hey Platt," he called back to the officer manning the front desk, "what's with the kid in interrogation?"

"Pick pocket," Platt smiled, nothing went by in that station without her knowing, "they're going to let her off with a warning, we're just waiting for someone to pick her up."

Voight went back to his desk and ate his burgers while completing his paperwork. Three hours later he was ready to leave, an early night he thought but as he was walking past interrogation he saw the girl still sitting there, alone, her head resting on the table as if almost asleep.

"Hey Platt," he said walking over to the desk officer, "what's with the kid still in interrogation?"

"No one has come to pick her up," Platt said half smiling, "if someone doesn't take her in the next hour, we're calling CPS."

"Right," Voight nodded and he turned around and walked back to the interrogation room. He wasn't sure what it was about the girl, she certainty wasn't the first kid to be left sitting in interrogation but there was something about her which made him want to talk to her.

...

Erin sat up with a start when she heard the door to the room open, she'd been falling asleep in the chair, she was board and hungry and wanted to go home, or at least somewhere out of this room. A man she hadn't seen before walked into the room, he looked rough around the edges and when he spoke his voice was course and gravely.

"Hi, I'm Detective Voight," he said introducing himself, "what's your name?"

"Erin," she said looking up at the man, "I already told the other officer that. Have you come to take me away?"

"No," Voight said sitting down opposite her, "why do you think someone is going to take you away?"

"Because I tried to steal that wallet," Erin said looking at the detective, she thought his question was weird, "that's what always happens, something bad happens and you get taken away."

Voight was surprised at her answer, "have you done this before?" he asked.

"No," she said looking down, "but I've seen it happen, you always get taken away. A kid in my old building got taken away and I never saw him again. If it's not the cops it's CPS. You always get taken away."

"Oh," Voight said eyeing off the kid, he felt sorry for her, there was a look in her eyes which said she'd seen some stuff, and something in her mannerisms which said she was living a hard life. He had an inexplicable urge to want to help her. "Are you hungry?" he asked, knowing the girl hadn't eaten in hours.

"Maybe," she said cautiously, she couldn't tell if he was being genuine or trying to trap her.

"Would you like to go get something to eat with me?"

Erin didn't understand what was happening, she didn't know who this detective was or why he was asking her out for dinner but she was hungry, "Okay," she said still feeling very unsure.

"Good, come on," he stood up and walked to the door, he held it open while she stood and he followed her out the room. She moved slowly down the corridor, half a step behind the detective, she didn't know where she was going and didn't want anyone to accuse her of trying to escape. He told her to take a seat by the front door while he talked to the officer at the desk.

"I'm taking the kid home," Voight said to the officer behind the desk, "where's her paperwork?"

"Here," the officer said handing him a small pile of paper, "be careful."

Voight nodded, not quite understanding the warning the other officer had given him. "Come on kid," he said and he walked with the girl to his car.

...

Erin sat quietly in the front seat of the detective's car, she felt weird and uncomfortable, she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be doing, what she was supposed to say so she didn't say anything, she just stared out the window and watched the city buzz by. After five minutes they pulled up in front of a pizza restaurant.

"Come on kid," the detective said to her when she didn't move fast enough. She followed him into the restaurant, and to a booth he sat down in. There was only one menu on the table, he picked it up before she could look at it, but it seemed to be pointless, the waitress was over there in a matter of seconds, he laughed and smiled with her like he was a regular. He ordered pizza and chocolate milkshakes without even asking if she liked them. It would have annoyed her if she wasn't already completely confused and weirded out by the situation. She wasn't going to turn down a free meal but she didn't trust this man, she couldn't fathom the idea that he was just doing this to be nice, he had to have an ulterior motive but she couldn't work out what.

Voight watched the girl sitting opposite him, she looked nervous and uncomfortable, she had a napkin in her hand and she was slowly tearing it into tiny pieces. He wanted to make her feel comfortable, he wanted her to trust him, but he had no idea how to do that, how to get that long lasting trust. His years in the force had taught him how to read people, he could tell this girl was tough, that she was living a hard life, and she didn't give trust out easily. He wanted to start a conversation with her but without a line of questioning he was struggling to find a starting point.

"Have you been having fun in your summer holidays?" he asked trying to get a conversation going.

"I guess," she said not looking up at him.

"What grade do you start when school goes back?" he asked trying again.

"Seventh," she said still not looking at him.

Erin knew what he was trying to do; he was trying to get her to tell him things about herself. She didn't want to tell him her life story; she didn't want the detective to know because she didn't want him to call CPS. She was surprised CPS hadn't already been by, she had expected them hours ago but maybe that was where this detective was taking her. Taking her out for dinner was just his way of trying to be nice.

"What do you like to do for fun?" he asked trying a third time.

"Nothing," she said still not lifting her head.

He was glad when the drinks finally came out, he took a long sip of his milkshake but she didn't touch hers.

"Don't you like chocolate milk?" he asked, hoping maybe a conversation about food might be easier.

"It's okay," she said reaching for the drink, she took a sip and finally lifted her head, she smiled at him.

"They make a really good one here don't they?" he said smiling back at her.

"Yeah," she said looking at him; it was the first time he felt like maybe they could get through this dinner.

Erin watched the detective while she continued to sip her milkshake, it was probably the best milk shake she'd ever had but she didn't want him to know that. She didn't want him thinking she owed him anything. He was smiling at her and as she looked closer she began to sense he was as uncomfortable as her.

"So why are we here?" she asked trying to start her own conversation.

"Because this place has the best pizza in town," the detective told her with a smile.

"That's not what I meant," she said still sipping her drink.

"I know," Voight smiled at her, he was relieved she was finally starting to talk, even if it was to throw questions at him, "but this place really does have the best pizza." Just at that moment the waitress placed the pizza on the table in front of them, "Try some," he said reaching for a piece.

Erin reached for a piece of pizza and began to eat, she hadn't realised how hungry she was until she was eating, the first slice was gone in seconds and then she was reaching for a second.

Voight sat back and watched the girl shove pizza in her face; she was almost inhaling the stuff she was eating so fast. He waited until she was finishing her second piece before he tried to start the conversation again.

"Do you like the pizza?" he asked

"Yeah," she said placing the last of the second piece in her mouth, "so are you going to tell me why we're here? Other than pizza I mean."

Voight took another bite of his pizza so he could work out an answer. He didn't know why they were there, why he'd taken the kid to dinner, why he was going to take her home after. It wasn't his job to do those things, in fact he was probably breaking protocol by doing so but he didn't just want to let the kid disappear back into the system.

"You looked hungry," he finally said, "I thought we could get something to eat before I drop you off home."

"So that's what this is about?" Erin said reaching for her third slice of pizza, "you want to see where I live?"

"No," Voight said, "I want to give you a ride home."

"So you can see where I live, so you can point CPS to my door."

"No," Voight said slowly, he hadn't expected the girl to jump down him about the ride home. "If CPS were going to be called you'd still be at the station. I want to give you a ride home so I know you get home safely."

"I don't need a ride. I can catch the bus."

"You know I'm not going to let you do that."

Erin made a move to stand, she didn't need this detective getting in her business but he saw her move and grabbed her wrist.

"Listen kid," he said looking straight at her, "you can walk away if you want but I'm just going to follow you home so you may as well let me give you a ride."

"Why?" she looked at him confused, she didn't understand why he cared, "why do you care if I get home?"

The question pulled at Voight's heart but confirmed some of his gut feelings. "Because you're a kid," he said.

"But you don't know me."

"Does that matter?" Voight could see the hints of pain in the girl's eyes, "I don't know you, but I can tell you're a good kid, someone should care if you get home safely."

"I'm not a good kid," Erin said looking down, she'd stopped eating, this conversation was making her loose her appetite, "I got arrested, good kids don't get arrested."

"Sometimes they do," Voight said as he slowly released his grip on her wrist. He placed a finger gently under her chin and lifted her head up; he looked her in the eyes. "You did a bad thing," he told her, "but that doesn't make you a bad person. Stay, finish eating and let me give you a ride. We don't have to talk if you don't want."

Slowly she turned back to her food and began sipping her milkshake. Voight picked up another piece of pizza and kept eating. They stayed in the restaurant another fifteen minutes, Voight ate two more pieces of pizza, Erin ate one, they didn't talk, they just sat there in silence slowly eating.

Erin didn't know what to make of her situation, of this detective who seemed to care about her for no apparent reason. He seemed to care about her more than her own mother, she was certain her mom wouldn't have even noticed she was missing. She was relieved when he finally said it was time to leave.

The drive to Erin's home was quiet; the only talking was when she gave direction. Voight didn't mind, he was pretty sure he'd already scared the kid with his kindness, he didn't want to overdo it. As they drove he observed the houses around him, he recognised the area they were heading in to, there was a lot of gang activity in the girl's area. When she told him to pull over, when he saw the house she lived in his mouth dropped, he recognised her home, the house had been on the unit's watch list for forever. They knew there was something going on inside the house but they'd never been able to get inside to work out exactly what.

"Thanks for dinner and the ride," Erin said as she made a move to get out the car. She was ready to get away from this man, ready to put the whole day behind her and pretend it didn't happen.

"Wait," the detective held out his hand and she paused. He reached for his wallet and pulled out a business card. "If ever you need anything, if ever you get into trouble and need help, phone me. My number is on the card."

"Thanks," she said taking the card, then she opened the car door and ran to her home.

Voight watched the girl run to her door; he waited until she was inside before he drove away. The whole drive home he thought about her, he wasn't sure why, he really couldn't explain what he saw in her which he hadn't seen in the dozens of other kids who passed by him every day but there was something there.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here is some more, I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

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The following day Voight organised for a stakeout of the place Erin called home, it wasn't the first time the house had been watched but it was the first time Voight volunteered to be part of the crew watching it.

"So what's the intel you have on this place?" his partner Detective Alvin Olinsky asked as he placed a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

"Just a hunch," Voight said, "I think I might know how to get someone on the inside but I need to see how the place works."

For one week they watched the house, recorded the movements, who came in, who came out, when, what they brought with them. Voight saw the girl leave with a boy in the morning and come back in the evening, the following day he watched them leave again but that night they didn't come home. He wanted to go out looking for them but unless they were reported missing there was no reason to think anything untoward had happened. Two days later the girl came back on her own. He wanted to approach her but as long as she stayed out of trouble he had no reason to approach. As the stakeout ended, Voight was forced to admit to his superiors that his hunch had been wrong; he didn't have a way in, at least not one that he could enact anytime soon.

As the days and weeks went by Voight tried not to think about the girl, he couldn't help her unless she asked for it. He began to think she'd be like the other kids he'd tried to help, he'd given out four business cards in his career and none of them had called.

...

September, Erin walked around the kitchen of the house opening every single cupboard, she was hungry but there was nothing to eat, over the last few weeks the adults in the house including her mom had been leaving. She didn't know where they were going or why, they never suggested she go with them. She didn't mind, she was used to looking after herself but now it was starting to become a problem. She didn't have any money and no one was around to buy groceries. She could steal some food, she knew how to but the arrest had spooked her, she knew if she got caught again they might not let her walk away from it. Instead she'd been working her way through the canned foods but she'd eaten the last can of baked beans for breakfast. She left the kitchen and walked to the living room, two of the adults were sitting there, only one of them she knew.

"You got any food?" she asked flopping into one of the lounge chairs.

"Who are you?" the man she didn't know asked.

"That's Bunny's kid," the other man said, "you know Bunny."

"Oh yeah," the first man said, "I know Bunny. What do you want kid?"

"Food," she said looking from one man to the other, "you got any?"

"Nah kid we ain't got no food," the first one said, "but you can have some of this," he gestured to the white powder set up on the table, "it'll make you forget about food real fast."

"No thanks," Erin said standing; she walked back to her room and grabbed her bag and jacket and left the house.

She caught a bus into the city and began walking to the food vans she knew about, the first one she made it to was closed and the second one had run out of food. She kept walking trying to remember where another one was but she was tired and hungry and sick of walking. She walked into the grocery store and began walking the aisles, she hadn't gone in there with the intention of stealing but that soon became her purpose. She picked a can of spaghetti off the shelf and slipped it into her bag, then she grabbed a bread roll. She thought she got away with it, the owner wasn't watching but another customer was.

"Hey, you going to pay for those?" the man yelled as she made a move for the door. She went to make a run for it but at that moment another customer came in the door and she got boxed in. She tried to run through them, she pushed them hard, they fell down; she tripped on their legs, and fell hard to the ground. The next thing she knew there was a knee in her back and her arms were being wrenched behind her, she tried to struggle free but she couldn't move. Minutes later the police arrived, they made the man stop kneeling on her, they let her stand. She was shaking all over and scared, she wanted to run but there was nowhere to get away. The lady she'd pushed over was saying her arm hurt, one of the men was yelling assault and calling her a shoplifter, one of the police officers was trying to get the adults to calm down, the other had a hand firmly on her shoulder. She was trying to follow the conversation but there were too many people talking at once.

"Alright!" the officer talking to the adults finally yelled, "come on kid you're coming with us."

They put handcuffs on her and led her away. She didn't say a word to them, not on the drive to the station and not on the walk to the interrogation room. In the room they took the handcuffs off, told her to take a seat and then left her. She took a seat and began trying to work out what she was going to do, they'd searched her bag but they hadn't taken it away. She found her wallet and pulled out the business card the detective had given her. She thought it was weird when he'd given it to her, she didn't think she'd ever use it but she hadn't thrown it away. Now she could see it might come in handy. When the officer finally came back she asked for a phone call.

"Here you go kid," the officer said, sitting her down in front of a telephone.

She pulled the business card out and slowly began dialing the numbers.

...

Voight was at home eating dinner with Camille when his phone started ringing. He recognised the number as coming from one of the police stations.

"Hello Detective Voight," he answered.

"Hello detective," when he heard the voice coming down the line was a child's he began to hold his breath, "it's me Erin. You gave me your business card. You said I could give you a call if I got in trouble. I think I'm in trouble, can you help me?"

"Of course kid," Voight said feeling his heart begin to flutter, finally someone called him, "what's the problem?"

"I'm at the police station, I've been arrested," her voice sounded so small coming down the line, he wanted to reach out and give her a hug.

"Okay kid, I'll be right there."

Voight hung up the phone and turned to his wife, "She called," he said smiling. Camille knew about Erin, she knew about all the kids Voight had handed cards to over the years, and she knew how much it pained him when they didn't call.

"Go help her," Camille said encouraging him out the door.

Voight tried to suppress his smile as he drove to the police station. He'd forgot to ask Erin what she'd been arrested for, she might have done something serious and him arriving smiling ear to ear wouldn't help her situation. He doubted she'd done anything too bad though, he still maintained his original assessment that she was a good kid.

He walked into the station and found the officers who'd brought her in. They had her for simple battery and retail theft. The officers said they really didn't want to bring her in, they could tell she was just a hungry kid and hadn't meant to hurt the lady but the people in the store had made it impossible for them to let her walk. They were looking for a reason to cut her lose and were happy to go along with Voight's suggestion.

...

Erin was bored and hungry and tired and feeling sorry for herself. She wanted to get out of the police station and go home but she was stuck there until this detective came to get her out. She wasn't sure how he was going to do that, she couldn't really deny what happened, too many people saw it and it was on camera. When the door finally opened and the detective walked in she felt relief run through her, he was smiling and carried with him a small pile of papers.

"Okay kid," he said sitting down opposite her, "I've got a way to get you out of this mess, but you're going to have to do something for me."

"What?" she asked, feeling like she was trading one bad situation in for another, she should have known trusting a cop was a bad idea.

"I want you to be my CI," he said and he began laying out the bits of paper.

"What's a CI?" she asked just knowing it was something bad.

"A confidential informant," he told her and she gulped.

"I don't want to be no informant," she said bulking at the idea, "I'm not a snitch."

"You don't have to be a snitch," Voight said trying to calm the girl, he was expecting her to react like this and he had his arguments ready, "just think of it as telling me about you. That house you live in, I want to know what's going on inside of it."

"Oh," she looked at him confused, "why do you care about that house?"

"You know why," he said looking straight at her, "you know what goes on in that house."

"It's just adults taking drugs and being stupid," she said still not understanding the significance.

"And," he said looking at her and she finally got what he was trying to suggest.

"I don't know what goes on in the basement," she said quickly covering herself, "they keep the doors locked and won't let me go down there."

"That's okay," he smiled at her, "we think we know what happens in the basement, I just need you to tell me about the rest of the house, who's there, what you see them do, that kind of thing."

"Okay," she said slowly processing what the detective was asking her to do. She didn't like it, she felt like she was being boxed into a corner, "if I don't do this, what happens?"

"I'll go home and the other officers will come back in. I don't know what they'll do." He felt bad kind of lying to her, he knew what the other officers were planning to do, if he walked away they'd let her go on good behaviour but he really wanted a reason for her to keep talking to him.

"And if I agree to this what else is in it for me?" she wasn't stupid, she could see the potential to get more out if this deal, "You seem to be getting the better deal here."

"Well," Voight smiled at her, she was smarter than he'd given her credit for. "If you agree, I'll get you out of here and we'll go get something to eat, you look hungry, and we can talk terms."

Erin thought about it for a minute before finally saying, "Okay," not because she really wanted to but because she didn't think she had any other choice.

"Smart girl," Voight smiled at her, he was relieved she'd said yes, he didn't know what he would have done if she'd said no, "we've just got to do some paperwork and then we'll get out of here."


	3. Chapter 3

It took fifteen minutes for all the paperwork to be completed, it made Erin feel nervous about how official it was all becoming. As they took her thumb and pressed it first into ink and then on to the paper she realised there was really no going back, she couldn't deny what she was doing if she ever got caught. She knew she had to keep this to herself, she couldn't let the adults around her life find out. If they did she knew there'd be hell to pay, none of them had ever hurt her but she'd seen them hurt each other.

"Come on kid," Voight said placing the completed papers into a folder and standing. Erin stood up, slipped her jacket on and picked up her bag; she followed the detective out the room and through the police station. One of the officers who'd brought her in smiled at her, she didn't smile back, she thought it was weird. They paused at the front for Voight to hand the desk officer the paperwork and then they were out the door.

"What do you feel like eating?" Voight asked her, "Burgers, pizza, pasta, pancakes, Chinese, Indian?"

"Whatever you want," Erin shrugged; she didn't care what she ate as long as she had something.

"Okay," Voight said and he thought a moment, "how about we go get burgers, I know a good place. Is that okay?"

"Burgers are good," Erin smiled and she walked with the detective to his car. She still didn't feel quite comfortable riding with the detective. It felt weird sitting in the front seat of his car, but the heat was nice, it felt good to be warm. She still didn't know if she could trust this man, he hadn't given her any reason to suggest she couldn't trust him but he was still a cop and generally speaking she'd seen many reasons why you shouldn't trust cops.

Voight kept one eye on the girl as he drove to the burger bar, he wasn't quite sure what he was doing, he'd never done this before, not like this anyway. He'd taken informants for meals before, lining someone's stomach with food was a great way to get them talking but this girl was different. He didn't really want her as an informant, he had no intension of pushing her hard for information, though he was sure she'd have a lot of useful information. What he wanted was a reason to see her, a legitimate reason to keep tabs on her that wouldn't completely weird her out.

They walked into the burger bar together and sat down in a booth; Erin picked up a menu and started reading. She'd never been to a place like this before; eating out wasn't something her family did often. The menu was long; there were more burgers on it than she thought existed.

"This one is pretty good," Voight said leaning over and pointing to a fancy burger with blue cheese in it, "or if you want something more traditional you can't go wrong with their original."

Erin read the original again and nodded, "Okay, I'll have the original and a vanilla milkshake."

"You like vanilla?" Voight asked looking at her surprised, "I had you pegged for chocolate."

"I like them both," Erin said smiling, "where I'm from it's best not to be fussy."

"Right," Voight smiled at her as the waitress came to take their order. He ordered for both of them, two originals, two vanilla milkshakes, and a side of onion rings. "You'll love the onion rings," he told her as the waitress walked away.

"You like vanilla?" She asked him, throwing the question back at him.

"I like them both," Voight smiled back at her and she laughed. It was the first time he'd seen her laugh, it wasn't a big laugh but it was something and her eyes lit up, it only lasted an instant then the table went into an awkward silence, the menus were no longer there to distract them.

Erin sat across from the detective and eyed him off; she knew one of them needed to start the conversation, one of them needed to get to the point of why they were there.

"So," she finally said, "this CI business, what do I get from it?"

"Well," the detective smiled at her, "what do you want?"

"I don't know," she said shrugging, "what do you usually get?" She didn't know how this CI thing worked; she didn't know how much she could ask for.

"Well," Voight began, "I usually give my CIs cash but sometimes other things they need, like I helped you get out of trouble tonight."

"Okay," Erin said processing the information, she liked the sound of getting cash; she liked the idea of having money of her own, "how much?"

"Depends what information they have, how much they need," Voight shrugged, "sometimes it's just a couple dollars, usually it's more."

"Okay," the girl said taking the information in. Voight could see her trying to process it, trying to work out if she liked the idea. "How's it going to work?"

"Well we'll pick a place, pick a time and meet up. You can pick the place if you want; it can be where ever you want to go."

"Alright," Erin said slowly, she couldn't believe she was actually going to go through with this but she was kind of liking the idea. "How often do we meet up?"

Voight thought for a moment, he didn't really have regular meetings with most of his CIs; usually he called them when he wanted information but Erin was different, he wanted to see her regularly, he'd meet with her every day if he didn't think that would get her into trouble. She was just a kid but he knew there were dangers associated with her talking to a cop. "I was thinking once a week," he said picking a compromise between how much he wanted to see her and what would be safe.

"Okay," Erin said just as the food arrived. Her mouth dropped when she saw the size of the burger, it was huge and so were the milkshakes and onion rings. "Wow," she said looking at all the food, "I don't think I can eat all this."

"That's alright kid," Voight said smiling at her, "just go your hardest."

The conversation slowed down as they ate, they both got sauce on their chins, it made Erin laugh again, and smile. Voight didn't push her to talk about herself, he knew that conversation made her feel uncomfortable instead as they were finishing up he suggested they play a game. It was a game of people watching, they'd pick people around the bar and make up stories about who they were and why they were there.

"Like that couple over there," Voight said pointing is head towards an old couple, eating burgers off to their side.

Erin turned to the couple; they looked ancient, like in their eighties or maybe older.

"They're here for their sixtieth wedding anniversary," Voight began, "he brings her here because it reminds him of their first date. He took her out for burgers because that was all he could afford. He was so worried she wouldn't like burgers but she loved it and here they are still together more than sixty years later." Voight smiled and Erin chuckled, a smile spread across her face, and her eyes shone again, "Now your turn," he said.

Erin looked around the crowded burger bar, there were lots of people, there were so many stories she could tell. Voight watched Erin eye off the crowd, he wanted to see who she'd pick, what story she'd tell. He'd played the game before with people, he often thought he could tell a lot about a person by the story they chose to tell.

Erin's eyes came to rest on a boy sitting by himself, in the furthest corner of the bar. "Him," she said pointing to the boy.

Voight turned his head to see who Erin had pointed to; she'd picked the only person there by themselves.

"He's here because he has to be," she slowly began, "his mom is working in the kitchen and she won't let him go home by himself so he comes here after school every day and does his homework. He's tried all burger on the menu but his favourite is the bacon cheeseburger." As the final words came out her mouth she looked away and reached for her drink, she shouldn't have picked the boy she thought, she should have picked the young couple, she could have made a silly story up about them instead of upsetting herself.

"Did your mom make you do that?" Voight asked, wondering if perhaps Erin was showing a little more of herself with the story.

"No," she said not looking at him, "she didn't care enough to make me do that. I was always home alone."

The words pulled at Voight's heart, he wanted to bridge the distance between them, hold her and tell her that someone cares about her but he restrained himself and nodded. He looked around the table, they'd both finished eating.

"Are you ready to head off?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said reaching for her drink, she gulped down the last of her milkshake and stood.

Voight left enough money to cover the tab and they walked out together. They were both quiet on the drive to Erin's house. Erin was too tired to talk; the whole evening had been overwhelming and exhausting. She still wasn't sure what she thought about being this detective's CI. She wasn't one hundred percent ok with the idea but she was thinking she might like it. His interactions with her so far had always been nice, he sometimes pushed her to talk but he backed off when he sensed he'd crossed a line.

Voight looked over at Erin as he pulled up a few doors down from her house. She'd been gazing out the window, a distant look on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she said shaking her head and looking at him, "thanks for your help tonight. When are we meeting up again?"

"How about next Sunday? Maybe around noon?" Voight suggested, "you can pick the place if you want."

"Okay," Erin thought for a moment, she didn't want to go to one of her usual hang outs, she didn't want her friends or acquaintances knowing about her meetings with the detective, "how about the front of union station," she suggested.

"Sounds perfect," Voight smiled at her, "take care kid, I'll see you next Sunday."

Erin climbed out the car and ran to her house. Voight watched her until he was sure she was inside and then he slowly drove away. He was already running through his head all the cafés and diners he could take her to near union station. The whole drive home he had a smile on his face, after years of trying to help people, he was finally going to make a difference in someone's life.


End file.
